1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an IC carrier for carrying an IC package thereon and used for conveying and placing the same in an IC socket.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Patent Application Early Laid-open Publication No. Sho 58-56444 shows a one piece type IC carrier in which latch arms for holding an IC package are integrally formed with an IC body. Particularly, in its FIG. 9, it is proposed that latch arms are disposed in such a manner as to engage with the four corner portions of the IC package, respectively. This IC carrier is favorably carried out or put into practice in case the IC package is provided with leads projecting in four directions thereof.
In this prior art, the latch arms to be engaged with the four corner portions of the IC package are disposed in such a manner as to be parallel with two opposite sides of a carrier body, the latch arms being connected with torsion bars which are disposed in such a manner as to be parallel with the remaining two opposite sides of the carrier body, the latch arms being extended from the torsion bars in parallel with the IC leads and each provided with an engaging claw projecting sideward from its free end so that the engaging claws will be engaged with the four corner portions.
In the conventional example, as described above, the latch arms extend in such a manner as to be parallel with two opposite sides of a carrier body and the torsion bars likewise extend in such a manner as to be parallel with the remaining two opposite sides of the carrier body. Therefore, if the strokes of the latch arms and the torsion bars are to be taken long in order to obtain a favorable resiliency, the vertical width and the lateral width of the carrier body become inevitably long thus resulting in a large size of the carrier body.
Also, in case the IC leads are arranged in high density along the four sides of the IC package and the space between the lead groups which are arranged along the adjacent sides is narrow, it is necessary that, as described above, the latch arms extend in such a manner as to be parallel with the leads at the end portions of the respective lead groups along the respective sides and the latch arms are each provided with an engaging claw projecting sideward from its free end. In this way, in case the engaging claw projecting sideward displaced from the axial line of each of the latch arms is brought to be engaged with the IC package, a twisting force is acted on the latch arm. Against such twisting force of the latch arm, the torsion bar becomes a rigid body and loses its own function as a torsion bar. That is, the torsion bar becomes incapable when the latch arm is twist energized. The torsion bar exhibits its own function as a torsion bar only when the latch arm is resiliently displaced in the engaging direction and in the disengaging direction (the directions parallel with the two opposite sides of the carrier body).
Therefore, the aim for providing the torsion bars and the latch arms to each corner of the carrier body is badly lessened. In addition, the carrier body becomes large inevitably.
The present invention has been accomplished in order to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks inherent in the prior art.